Piggyback mogul grader

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for removing and smoothing out moguls on ski slopes that are caused by a great amount of skiers. A mogul is a bump on ski slopes that is caused by a heavy amount of traffic. When these moguls get too large and make skiing hazardous, it is necessary for ski slope operators to go out and smooth out these bumps. The apparatus of the present invention is a grader unit having a piggyback feature that permits the unit to be folded up from the grading position as, for example, when the hill being worked is too steep. This construction is also very useful when the unit is being moved from one slope to another, or when the unit is being stored in the off-season.

United States Patent Brooks Dec. 16 1975 PIGGYBACK MOGUL GRADER 3,534,821 10/1970 Mitchell 172/780 3,700,043 10/1972 Sullivan 1 1 1 172/485 X [76] Inventorg g'f fi Star i zi 3,776,318 12/1973 Layton 172 777 s 1 rea, eavenwo as 98826 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS May 7, 1 Canada 1, 1 PP 467,813 Primary Examiner-Stephen C. Pellegrino Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sherman Levy [52] US. Cl 172/780; 172/485 [51] Int. Cl.- E02F 3/12 ABSTRACT Fleld of Search An apparatus is provided for removing and smoothing 172/457, 458, 463, 464, 466, 467, 446, 4 out moguls on ski slopes that are caused by a great 479, 483, 485, 488, 491, 494, 13 199; amount of skiers. A mogul is a bump on ski slopes that D164 3 is caused by a heavy amount of traffic. When these moguls get too large and make skiing hazardous, it is 1561 References Clted necessary for ski slope operators to go out and smooth UNITED STATES PATENTS out these bumps. The apparatus of the present inven- 1,416,563 5/1922 Valley 37/41 tion is a grader unit having a P gy feature that 2,512,733 6/1950 Andersen et al 172/464 P i he unit to be folded up from the grading posi- 2,560,711 7/1951 Arps 172/446 tion as, for example, when the hill being worked is too 2,650,441 9/1953 Shumaker..... 172/780 X steep. This construction is also very useful when the 2,660,816 12/1953 Maxwell 37/D1G. 3 unit is being moved from one lope to another or i 32 when the unit is being stored in the off-season. 9 O 3,141,250 7/1964 Eddins 172/485 X 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures j 1'! 22 I 41 \s t 7.0 i 16 I Z2 41 i US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 1 013 3,926,262

U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet 2 of 3 3,926,262

U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet3of3 3,926,262

PIGGYBACK MOGUL GRADER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a piggyback mogul grader attachment that permits ski slope operators or other personnel to smooth out bumps or moguls on ski slopes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A piggyback mogul grader attachment is provided that permits bumps or moguls to be smoothed out in a highly efficient manner. The device or apparatus can be folded and carried when desired to eliminate all ground friction. Further, the device can be folded up and moved to a piggyback position and this is useful when the unit is being moved from one slope to another or when the unit is being stored in the off-season. The device can be arranged in a desired position so that it can be used when the snow is to be compacted when there are no moguls to be smoothed out with the grader. The grader attachment of the present invention is adapted to be made of light weight materials to make it very portable and it can be left on the machine so as to be ready for instant use under all conditions.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a piggyback mogul grader attachment that permits ski slope operators to smooth out moguls or bumps on ski slopes in a highly efficient or advantageous manner.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a piggyback mogul grader attachment that is ruggedly constructed and efficient to use and which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture or install.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in the light of the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the piggyback mogul grader attachment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view generally similar to FIG. 2 but showing in FIG. 3 the parts in compacting position, whereas FIG. 2 shows the parts in scraping position.

FIG. 4 is a view generally similar to FIGS. 2 and 3 but showing the parts in transporting position.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating a modification or alternative form of one part of the invention wherein a hydraulic blade depth adjustment control means is used instead of the manually operable screw means of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the numeral 10 indicates generally the piggyback mogul grader of the present invention that is adapted to be used with and pulled behind a vehicle such as a vehicle 11 that may be a tractor type vehicle.

The vehicle 11 is shown to include a body portion 12 having endless tracks 13, FIG. 2, and mounted on the rear of the vehicle 11 is a reversing mechanism 14 that is adapted to be used for pivoting or swinging a boom 15. The boom 15 is swivelly or pivotally connected to the reversing mechanism 14 as at 16, and the boom 15 includes a pair of spaced parallel side members 17. As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional mechanism such as the hydraulic mechanism 18 can be used for actuating the reversing mechanism 14, and the hydraulic mechanism 18 includes a cylinder 19 having a movable piston 20 connected thereto.

As shown in the drawings, a pair of spaced parallel plates 22 are secured to the outer ends of each of the arms 17 in any suitable manner as for example by means of securing elements 23. A frame 21 includes a pair of spaced parallel arms 25 that are pivotally connected to each pair of plates 22 by means of a pivot connection 24. A compactor 26 is mounted on the outer ends of the arms 25 of the frame 21 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The numeral 27 indicates the surface on which the present invention is adapted to work or move and wherein the surface 27 may have moguls or bumps 28 thereon, FIG. 2. The numeral 31 indicates cross pieces that can extend between the arms 25.

As shown in the drawings, a scraper unit 29 is provided in accordance with the present invention, and the numeral 30 indicates support members that are secured to the arms 25 as by welding. Braces 32 may be provided as shown for helping to maintain the proper positioning for the parts.

There is also provided a mounting means for the grader or scraper 29 and this mounting means comprises pairs of vertically disposed mounting members 33 that are secured to the support members 30 as at 34. The mounting members 33 are provided with a plurality of openings 35 therein so that the mounting members 33 can be adjusted or shifted in position in order to position the grader or scraper 29 at the desired location. The scraper 29 includes a plate 37 that has a stiffener 36 on the rear surface thereof, and a cutting bit 38 is suitably mounted on the lower edge of the blade 37. A pair of spaced parallel end plates 39 are suitably secured to the ends of the blade 37, and stiffeners or ribs 40 are arranged on the outer surfaces of the ends plates 39, FIG. 1.

There is further provided a blade depth adjustment control means that is indicated generally by the numeral 41, FIG. 2, and wherein this means comprises a tubing 42 that is secured by welding to the arm 25. The tubing 42 has a gusset 45 welded thereto. Manually adjustable screw members 47 extend through nuts 43 and 44 and the screw member 47 are adjustably connected to the bars or tubing 43, the screw members 47 being selectively engagable with portions of the side members 17 of the boom 15 as shown in the drawings.

Instead of using the manually adjustable depth control means 41, shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, a hydraulic blade depth adjustment control means 48 shown in FIG. 6 can be used wherein the mechanism 48 comprises bars 49 that are secured to the arms 25. Hydraulic cylinders 50 are supported by the bars 49, and the hydraulic cylinders are adapted to be connected to a suitable source of supply of hydraulic fluid under pressure whereby movable elements 51 can be actuated by the cylinders 50, and the movable elements 51 are adapted to engage portions of the side members 17.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided a piggyback mogul grader attachment, and in use, with the parts arranged as shown in the drawings, the attachment is adapted to be pulled along behind a vehicle, such as the vehicle 11, so that for example in FIGS. 2 and 3 the apparatus will move from right to left. The parts can be arranged as shown in FIG. 3 when desired so that only the compactor 26 engages the snow surface 27 and wherein, as shown in FIG. 3, the grader 29 is in a raised position above the snow surface 27. Or, the parts can be arranged as shown in FIG. 2 so that the grader 29 is in a lowered position whereby the grader 29 can be used for smoothing out the bumps or moguls such as the bumps or moguls 28 as the tractor or vehicle 1 l is moved along the ground. As shown in FIG. 4, when neither of the compactor 26 or the grader 29 is being used, the parts can be moved to a raised piggyback position to facilitate movement of the vehicle along a highway or the like, or wherein with the parts arranged as shown in FIG. 4, the entire apparatus will occupy a minimum amount of space for storage and the like.

There is further provided the blade depth adjustment control means which may consist of the manually operable mechanism 41 that includes the screw members 47 that can be manually adjusted to vary or control the depth of positioning of the grader 29 and the like. Instead of using the manually operable screw mechanism 41, a hydraulic mechanism 48 shown in FIG. 6 can be used.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different shapes or sizes as desired or required.

The present invention thus provides a grader structure for removing bumps or mounds of snow on ski slopes. The grader is mounted on the back of a snow tractor, such as the tractor 11, and the device includes a pivotal frame 21 that carries an adjustable scraper blade 29 and a compactor unit 26. The prior patents include prior US. Pat. No. 3,685,404 for a hydraulic lift arrangement, but this is not included in the present invention. The present invention is a mogul grader for removing bumps from a ski hill such as one that is under heavy ski traffic. The device is in the form of an accessory item to be used in conjunction with the conventional vehicle or tractor having the hydraulic lifting device. The device or apparatus is quite simple and consists of a main frame and a blade unit. The apparatus is light in weight and has an automatic adjusting mechanism that produces an automatic cut and fill ratio for cutting bumps off and filling the area between the bumps. The device is adapted to be used for grooming ski trails and ski slopes so that it will smooth off the moguls or bumps. The unit can be made or manufactured with a manual control as indicated by the numeral 41, or it can be made with an optional hydraulic control 48 as shown in FIG. 6. The compactor unit 26 is not part of the present invention.

It will therefore be seen that there has been provided an apparatus for removing and smoothing out moguls on ski slopes that are caused by a great amount of skiers. FIG. 4 illustrates the unit in a folded piggyback position. FIG. 3 illustrates the device in the compacting position, while FIG. 2 shows the apparatus in grading or scraping position.

As is known a mogul is a bump on ski slopes that is caused by a heavy amount of traffic. When the moguls get too large, they can make skiing hazardous, and ski slope operators have to go out and smooth these bumps. As shown in FIG. 4, the grader unit is in a folded-up, piggyback position, and with this piggyback feature, the unit can be folded up from the grading position to a position such as that shown in FIG. 4 when the hill being worked is too steep. It is folded and carried to thereby eliminate all ground friction. It is also very useful when the unit is being moved from one slope to another, or when the unit is being stored in the off-season.

The parts are adapted to be arranged in the compacting position of FIG. 3 when the snow is to be compacted and when there are no moguls to be smoothed out with the grader.

As shown in the drawings, the piggyback mogul grader attachment has a frame 21, and mounted on the forward end of the frame 21 are two manually operable blade depth adjustment controls 41. These blade depth adjustment controls 41 determine the exact cut and fill ratio; once it is set, it automatically cuts its own grade without further adjustment. The forward ends of the frame and the aft end of the frame can be easily made to fit between an existing hydraulic lift frame and compactor bar already known.

Also, the blade or unit 29 is mounted to the frame 21 by members such as the brackets 33. In order to adjust the angle of the blade 37, there are two angle adjustment members 33 between the mounting members or support members 30 and the blade 37. On the rear side of the blade 37 is a blade stiffener 36 that extends the full width of the blade 37. Mounted at both ends of the blade 37 are two end plates 39 which serve to prevent snow from spilling from the ends of the blade 37. There are also provided two end plate stiffeners 40.

Thus, it will be seen that there has been provided a piggyback mogul grader attachment that can be made of light weight material and which is very portable and wherein the apparatus can be left on the machine so as to be ready for instant use under all conditions. Connecting elements 52 are provided on the ends of the frame sections 54 to provide a coupling to the frame sections 55 whereby securing elements 53 can be extended through these members in order to maintain the parts connected together in the desired manner.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specification will occur to others and, therefore, it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the appended claims and not by the embodiments described hereinabove. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a piggyback mogul grader, a vehicle including a body portion having a reversing mechanism thereon, a boom connected to said reversing mechanism and said boom including a pair of spaced parallel side members, plates secured to said side members, a frame including a pair of spaced parallel arms pivotally connected to said plates, a compactor mounted on the outer ends of said arms, blade depth adjustment control members on said frame, a grader unit connected to said frame including a pair of spaced parallel support members connected to said arms, a pair of mounting members ad justably connected to said support members, said grader unit-including a blade having a stiffener extending longitudinally across the rear surface thereof, end plates on the ends of said grader blade, a cutting bit on the lower edge of the grader blade, and ribs on the outer surfaces of the last named end plates providing 6 connected to said frame and including a pair of support members connected to said arms, a pair of mounting members adjustably connected to said support members, said grader unit including a blade having a stiffener extending across the rear surface thereof, end plates on said grader blade, a cutting bit on the grader blade, and ribs on the last named end plates providing stiffeners 

1. In a piggyback mogul grader, a vehicle including a body portion having a reversing mechanism thereon, a boom connected to said reversing mechanism and said boom including a pair of spaced parallel side members, plates secured to said side members, a frame including a pair of spaced parallel arms pivotally connected to said plates, a compactor mounted on the outer ends of said arms, blade depth adjustment control members on said frame, a grader unit connected to said frame including a pair of spaced parallel support members connected to said arms, a pair of mounting members adjustably connected to said support members, said grader unit including a blade having a stiffener extending longitudinally across the rear surface thereof, end plates on the ends of said grader blade, a cutting bit on the lower edge of the grader blade, and ribs on the outer surfaces of the last named end plates providing stiffeners.
 2. In a piggyback mogul grader, a vehicle including a body portion having a reversing mechanism thereon, a boom connected to said reversing mechanism and said boom including a pair of side members, plates secured to said side members, a frame including a pair of arms pivotally connected to said plates, a compactor mounted on the ends of said arms, blade depth adjustment control members on said frame, a grader unit connected to said frame and including a pair of support members connected to said arms, a pair of mounting members adjustably connected to said support members, said grader unit including a blade having a stiffener extending across the rear surface thereof, end plates on said grader blade, a cutting bit on the grader blade, and ribs on the last named end plates providing stiffeners. 